“If you don’t know the fundamental facts and information of whisky, you’re a useless sommelier. But if you only talk about facts and information about whisky, you’re just a sh!++y wikipedia.”
That’s a quote from my friend, Jason Sowder.
Jason came into the school years back and is one of our few level four whisky sommeliers. He’s also an instructor with Whisky Marketing School, the Stave and Thief Program, and one of the better presenters I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching teach.
What Jason said about Whisky Sommeliers is also a fundamental truth about marketing.
I would phrase it as, “If you don’t have an excellent product or provide an excellent service, you’re a useless business. But if all you do is talk about the product and service you provide, you’re a sh!++y yellow pages.”
Too many business owners want to spend all their energy talking about the facts, details, technology, and unique selling propositions. But no one cares like you do about your business and the industry you’re in. If they did, they’d already be a competitor. And trying to educate the customer on the threaded nuance of your approach is like trying to force someone to go to school.
I’m certain there are unique things about your business. But they are rarely about “how” you do what you do. They’re almost always found in “why” you do what you do. Because the “why” of your business is the part that is human.
Why did you chose this path? Why do you keep getting up and going back to work? Why do you get there early and stay late?Why do you keep wanting to talk to people about what you do and how you do it?
Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”
Wizard Academy says, “Win the heart and the mind will follow.”
To do that you have to be vulnerable. You have to tell stories. You have to help people see the human beings behind the logo plastered vans and branded uniforms.
And it’s not just you. It’s the way YOUR story overlaps with THE story of being human.
We respect excellence and information. We identify with weaknesses and vulnerability.
If you want us to fall in love with you, you have to show us why and who you are. When we realize your story is a part of our story, we’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.
And that’s how brand ambassadors are born.
Daniel Whittington
Chancellor
